“Happy and successful cooking doesn't rely only on know-how; it comes from the heart, makes great demands on the palate and needs enthusiasm and a deep love of food to bring it to life.”
- Georges Blanc, Ma Cuisine des Saisons!

March 24, 2007

My choice of vegetable this week is Asparagus which is a unfamiliar vegetable to me at least and to most Indians as well.I made a simple side dish with Indian spices to go with a meal for Kalyn's "Weekend Herb Blogging" and this week it's Kate from "Thyme for cooking"'s turn to host.Thank you Kate.

About Asparagus:

A member of the lily family, asparagus, (Asparagus officinalis), comes from the Greek word asparagos, which first appears in English print around 1000 A.D. Asparagus is one of the most nutritionally well-balanced vegetables in existence.It is very low in calories,contains no fat or cholesterol, is very low in sodium and is the best provider of folic acid. More info at "Michigan Asparagus Advisory board".

Well now...although I have always loved Asparagus served in the restaurants and have seen Asparagus dishes in many blogs,I have never really tried to cook at home.Finally last week,I decided to buy some of these and stir fry with some Indian spices.It turned out to be a fabulous tasting side dish with crispy Chicken patties and a slice of home made Cheese bread as you can see! Well Asparagus stir-fry was a hit and will be on my table more often from now on!:))

A dinner plate with Chicken Patty,Asparagus Stir-fry with Cheese Bread:

How to make these:

Asparagus Stir-fry first:1. Pick a tender (with thinner spears) bunch of Asparagus and wipe the outside with a clean wet towel.Hold the Asparagus at the end,snap the thicker part and it will break where is it tender and not stringy.Keep them whole.2. Heat a 2 tsp butter in a wide pan,add asparagus spears ,sprinkle some salt and stir-fry for not more 5 mins,it should still be crisp when done not limp at all.3. Before you take it off the heat,sprinkle 1/2 tsp each of Garlic powder,Cumin pd,1/8 tsp of Chili flaked or coarsely ground pepper.4. Serve warm on the side with a some Mayonnaise(optional) on top.

Crispy Chicken Patties next:1. In a bowl, mix 1 lb ground chicken,1 egg, 1 tbsp Mrs.Dash no-salt Spicy seasoning or Chipotle seasoning or any you like,2 tsp Parsley,salt and pepper well.2. Divide in to four portions,make rounds and flatten to make four patties.3. Add 1 cup Panko, Japanese bread crumbs on a plate and coat each patties well both sides and chill in the fridge covered until you are ready.4. Heat 1 tsp butter or Olive oil in a non-stick pan on a medium heat,add one patty and cook until reddish on the bottom for about 3 mins,flip and cook the other side until the inside is cooked well with little more butter or oil.5. Repeat with others and serve as soon as possible,warm and crisp.

Cheese-Garlic Bread last:)

I made some home made Naan bread stuffed with Cheddar Cheese and folded over to bake and brushed with Garlic-Parsley butter when done.Click here for that recipe.

Oh yum... looks delicious Asha. Asparagus is one of my favorites! Sometimes I eat it raw. It's good with Indian spices and also with just a little lemon juice and butter, too. When I see that at sale prices I know it's really spring. However, it snowed last night. HELP! :)

I love the spicy twist in your asparagus. This veg was "new comer" in our Chinese market when I was a teen. That time I responsible making lunch for my siblings everyday, asparagus was one of the regulars on our table:D Oh Asha, your cheese naan is rock!!!

Hi J! Yes madam! Every post is a work for me, because I strive to bring the best I can!:)) You will love this post, i am also posting for Sushma too in the same.I am not done yet,will do ASAP.

It snowed there Linda!!! OMG!! Better move here,it was 83F and we were all 'sweating like Pigs' by evening!;DI did that too,started munching on almost raw Asparagus!I will cook more of these now,yum!!:)

Thanks Gattina.We love it in the restaurants but somehow I hesitated cooking at home.Loved it and will cook more! Try Cheese bread,it's bread more than Naan actually.

Hi Asha,Still going through your 'Aroma' blog. Wow...good pictutes and recipes in this one also. Asparagus is a vegetable my husband and I would love to eat. But in some cookshow they said so many things that it has to be done in a certain way, otherwise it would become tough and taste bitter. So, I never gave that a try. You instructions are clear that I wish to try them. As for the bread...anything with garlic , I'm always up for it. good pictures Asha. I must say, You are robbing of my time with my kid as I'm always browsing your blog.Nice work.

Hi Kribha,thanks!:))No No! Don't browse too much when the kids are up,can do it when they take a nap!;DTender Asparagus is so delicate,you just need to saute for 2 mins,that's all.Don't cook too much like we do with Indian veggies.Some are so young,you can eat them fresh too.Choose thinner and lighter colored Asparagus,you will love it:)

What a gorgeous photo! I love that. And I want to eat each and every item on the plate.

I think my favorite way to eat asparagus is roasted with olive oil and salt. I'll bet it was delish also the way you fried it. I think next time I roast some, I'll try it with those spices. I think that would be great.

Thanks for the ideas and recipes. I want to try the chicken patties, too, with the crunchy yummy panko coating.

Hi Lisa,glad you liked them all:))Little bit of spice brings out all the flavor of the Asparagus,it was good.Hope you try.I love the Panko bread crumbs,they just cling to the patties unlike the regular crumbs!:)Thanks for visiting.

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